Keeping the Faith
by GrandLordAtos
Summary: NaruHina AU - Childhood - Looking out the window of the orphanage she had lived at for two years, Hinata remembers her first true friend, and the days they shared together. Childish affection grows as she reflects on the light he brought into her life.


Children normally hated the rain - to them, it meant they couldn't go outside and play. To Hinata, however, the rain was like a good friend. Every time a storm went on outside, she would sit close to her window in the orphanage, her lavender eyes soaring the grey and gloomy skies. Her ears would hear the pitter-patter, and she would cease to feel so alone. If the rain was a child here at the orphanage, perhaps it too would never be adopted by a loving family. Did the rain even have a mother and father?

As she questioned this and more, she always felt a little better - knowing there was someone who could understand her so well. Yet it also saddened her in a way - the rain was probably just as sad as she was. Always crying. Always hurting for someone to care. Just like the boy whom she had known only for a short while.

The eight-year-old clutched on to her stuffed rabbit. "Naruto-kun..." she whispered softly, remembering the first day she had come to the orphanage two years ago. Her eyes falling upon the wooden porch outside, she recalled it was rainy on that day as well.

It was only a week after the accident that changed her young life forever. The screaming tires of the car once more pierced her ears, and the sound of shattering glass relapsed in her mind. She felt once more the scrapes and bruises, and the painful searing her leg had endured. Looking at the burn that ran from her knee to her ankle, she couldn't imagine what her parents must have gone through before...well, they left the world. Such thoughts...not many children would think so much about the death of loved ones. For Hinata, it was difficult to get over.

She had arrived on that rainy day at the front gates of the orphanage, . Her face turned towards the ground, she couldn't bring herself to look at the place she was supposed to now call her home - because it wasn't. She couldn't accept this change, nor the loss of her family. She was too young to have her happy life shattered like this. It had to be a bad dream - any moment, her mother would wake her up, and bring her a glass of water to calm down. Her father would sit next to her, running his strong hands over her head gently till at last she fell asleep again, to a better dream.

Several steps later, she had come to the painful reality - this was really happening to her. She began to cry, and stopped moving altogether. Falling to her bruised knees, she couldn't bring herself to go inside. To look at the place. She just wanted to wake up in bed, safe, happy, and sound.

It wasn't till she felt a hand poking her on the shoulder that she opened her tear filled eyes at all. Staring down at her was a little blond child, no older than she was, holding a blue umbrella over her. His bright blue eyes were looking down at her, a big, goofy smile playing across his face. "Hey! You dropped your stuff." he said, pointing to her tiny suitcase.

Helping her up, he began to walk her to the house. She didn't know why, but somehow, this boy's presence alone made her calmer. It was his smile - it was so big and genuine, like the smiles her parents used to give.

She remembered walking through the doors for the first time that day, with that little boy's hand holding hers. Such a friendly, warm thing for him to do, to welcome her like that. It was more than the other children in the orphanage had done in the following days.

She couldn't help but cringe when the cruel echos of the other children rang in her ears once more. Her first several weeks had been rough - her grief for her lost parents had lingered, and she didn't want to speak to anyone for the longest time, or do anything. She didn't want to play with the other girls when they went out into the yard to pick dandelions, or watch movies on Saturday nights in the living room. All she wanted to do was cry in solitude, to curl up in bed at night - and make the days go by faster until at last her pain was gone.

The other children were less than sympathetic to the girl, teasing her and calling her a crybaby. One day, when the house was being cleaned and the children were instructed to go outside and play. She remembered huddling on the rocking chair in the shade of the porch, clinging to her stuffed bunny. The girls and the boys were playing dodgeball - something she wished nothing more than to stay far away from.

As the hour went on, some of the boys who teased her often noticed her, and with mischievous grins, ran over to where she was sitting. She knew nothing good would come of this, and hid her face behind her precious toy - hoping they would leave her alone.

"Aww, look at the little crybaby Hinata-tan!" mocked the eldest of the boys, grabbing her rabbit from her. "Haha, stop being such a baby and come play with us."

Hinata grabbed for her toy, which the cruel boy promptly began to raise higher and higher over her with each failed attempt. It was hopeless - the child was so much taller than she was. "P-please, give Mr. Ears back to me!" she pleaded.

The boy snickered as Hinata stood up on the rocking chair, and clumsily fell off in another failed attempt to grab the rabbit. Tossing it to his friend behind him, he placed his foot on her head, and pressed her further into the wood floor. "I'll give it back if you cry for it."

The floorboards were already soaked with tears, and she felt her tiny nose being crushed under the boy's foot. Sobbing helplessly, she squeaked out another plea. "P-please! Please, give me my toy! H-he's my friend!"

The boy chuckled. "Friend? Haha, normal kids have real friends. You have a cotton rabbit - what kind of freak are you?" Taking his foot off of her, he gestured to his friend. "Hey, let's see if her friend can fly."

The other boys snickered, and ran off the porch suddenly. Hinata had only a moment to see what was happening - the boy whom the rabbit had been thrown to reeled his arm back, and chucked her favorite toy high into the air - landing it on top of the roof. "N-NO! Mr. Ears!" She began to sob into her hands. That toy...it was the last thing she had that her parents gave to her.

"Everyone! Baby Hinata-tan is crying again!" laughed the cruel boy in front of her. However, his laughter was suddenly cut short - it ceased in an instant, and a shrill, but familiar voice graced her ears.  
"HEY! Quit picking on her!" It was the boy who had welcomed her on that day. Opening her eyes, she saw the blond haired boy, pinning the bully on the ground in front of her, pummeling him wildly. His eyes were angry, and when he turned to the other boys, they began to back away.

Scurrying to get away, the bully ran to join his friends, and said with a tremble in his voice "You'll be sorry for that, Naruto, you punk! Just you wait, I'll get you back!"

As the boys ran off into the yard, the child who saved her rose his fist to the fleeing bullies. "Hah! Just you try it, 'tebayo~! I'll be waiting!" Turning to Hinata, the rage in his eyes had melted. Now, they showed little more than concern for the girl, as he helped her to her feet. "Did they hurt you at all?"

Hinata's face turned pink, and she turned away from him - afraid to make eye contact. "N-no, they didn't. B-but Mr. Ears, he..."

The orange-clothed boy folded his arms and tilted his head. "Your toy? I'll get it back for you."

She watched in disbelief as the boy began to walk outside the porch, looking around for a way up. Seeing no other means, he began to climb the splinter-riddled supports. She couldn't believe he would do this for her. Didn't he think of her as a crybaby, too?

"OW OW OW OW OW!" the child slid down the beam, jumping around and shrieking in pain. "Ouch! Splinters, splinters, splinters, 'tebayo~!" Rolling his sleeves up, the boy seemed to not mind the splinters sticking out of his hands even a bit, as he leaped for the beam again in an attempt to climb it.

Rushing to his side, Hinata reached out to grab his arm. "W-wait, you're bleeding!" He ran to climb it once more, with the same results. "OWOWOWOWOW!" Getting up, he bit his lip and shook his hands around. Looking at Hinata's expression of worry, he threw his hands behind his head and laughed. "S-sorry, looks like it'll be a little while. Give me more time, 'tebayo. Oh." he stood up and extended his tiny hand to her. "My name is Naruto, by the way. I never got to tell you that, so how about now?"

Hinata looked at his hand as if it was on fire. No one had ever offered their hand in friendship before - it was all too new to her. Slowly, she met his hand with hers, and spoke meekly. "I-I'm Hinata."

Naruto flashed a toothy smile - well, aside from a missing tooth up front. "Nice to meet you again, Hinata-chan. I promise you, I'll get Mr. Ears back for you no matter what."

It was such a strange day for her. Till that point in her life, she had never had a genuine friend before. Her family had kept mostly to themselves for much of her life - the new sensations bore a fluttering sensation inside her. One she couldn't explain - one she had never felt. Each night after that day, even though she was still wracked with pain over the loss of her parents, sometimes, a light would shine through the darkness - a light that came from the warm thoughts of Naruto - her first true friend.

Thunder rolled across the sky, causing Hinata to squeak and cling tighter on to her rabbit. It had always been a scary noise for her, one she couldn't get over the fear of. Yet another thing the other children would tease her about - but it wasn't as bad anymore as it used to be. The worst storm she had ever seen, though, was the same Summer she had arrived at the orphanage.

It was late, and the other children were all tucked in bed. Even the caretakers had begun to sleep, and the house was dark and quiet. It had begun to pour outside, and Hinata was restless, as she had been every night since she lost her cuddly companion to hold. Hopping out of bed, she tip-toed out of the girls room, and entered the long and dark hall.

The walls seemed to close around her, the deeper in she walked. The need to use the restroom overpowered her fear for the time being, however - after all, it wasn't -that- far down. Coming up on the landing, the hallway suddenly lit up with the flash of lightning, followed quickly by a roar of thunder that seemed to shake the house.

Curling on the ground, Hinata screamed and began to burst into tears. She hated the thunder - she hated it so much. It was so loud, so frightening - like a monster, lurking in the sky. Paralyzed by fear, she huddled down, holding her hands over her head - as if to protect herself. Tears rolled down her puffy cheeks, and she begged that it would soon be over.

"Hinata-chan, what's wrong?" The familiar voice of Naruto rang past her ears, and she peeked through her arms, looking up at him.

"N-Naruto-kun, the...the storm is...WHA!" She screamed again as thunder filled the halls once more. Her eyes widened when she realized what had just happened - in her panic, she had accidently stopped holding it, and a wet spot began to soak her feet. Crying again, this time in shame, the little girl looked away from Naruto. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm s-sorry! I d-didn't mean to, please don't laugh at me!"

"What are ya talking about, everyone is a little afraid of-oh...ewwwww, I see what you mean." Naruto's expression became a bit grossed out as he felt a warm, wet sensation at his feet. Rubbing the back of his head, he extended his hand out to her. "We all make mistakes, I'm not mad. Here, let me help you back up."

Hinata was dumbfounded. Any of the other children would have scorned her, or mocked her endlessly for a mistake like that. Naruto, he was offering to help her stand up though. Pulling her away from the spot she had just had her accident at, the boy patted her on the head. "You don't have to worry, I won't tell anyone about this."

Hinata felt a smile spread across her face - but it was short lived, as another flash of lightning flooded the halls. Cowering on the ground, she started to sniffle, even with Naruto holding her hand. "I'm s-scared. This storm is really bad, N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto sat down next to her, and spoke gently. "You know, I learned a cool little trick the other day about thunder and lightning. When you see lightning, if you say 'bowl of ramen' again and again till you hear the thunder, the number of times you say it is how many miles it is away from you."

Hinata's eyes opened again, and the flash of lightning showered over the floor once more. Taking upon Naruto's words, she began to count quietly. "One bowl-of-ramen, two bowl-of-ramen, three bowl of-EEK!" The thunder had sounded as soon as she got to three, and Naruto clapped his hands together.

"See? That means it's two miles away from us, and that's really REALLY far. Thunder can't hurt - lightning can, but it's so far away that it won't."

She didn't know why - she hated the storm, and now she just wanted to return to bed, and sleep it away. But for the next several minutes, she and Naruto sat in that hallway, and counted bowls of ramen after every flash of lightning. The more she did so, the more she realized the lightning was not nearly as scary as she thought. Though the sound of thunder was still scaring her a bit, she was losing the urge to cry. Looking at Naruto each time she saw the lighting flash, she could make out his warm smile through the darkness, and it made her feel secure.

The storm had started to subside not long after they had started. Since then, they had counted one-hundred thirteen bowls of ramen - a number that to Naruto, would have been delicious had the young children been keeping count. The house was quiet once again, and Naruto began to fidget. "By the way, I um...still haven't found a way to get Mr. Ears off of the roof." he said regretfully. "But...don't lose faith. I still promise you I'll get him back."

Hinata blinked, confused by this new word. "W-what does 'faith' mean?" she asked curiously.

Naruto scratched his nogging. "Faith...faith...y'know, I'm not sure. I just know how it's used is all...but I guess it's just a way of believing in someone or something." He nodded at her. "Yeah, I think that must be it, 'tebayo. Because...I have faith that someday, a nice family will adopt me, and love me forever and ever."

That had been the first time she had heard the word 'faith', or even felt an ounce of the feeling. It was also the first time Naruto had spoken of his desire to be adopted. The rain had begun to die down, and Hinata looked out onto the lawn, where she and Naruto used to play together.

While most of the children played in the back yard, Naruto and Hinata would often be found in the front, so they could play in peace without the bullying children bothering them. Days were spent out there laying in the grass and watching the clouds, or playing hop-scotch on the side-walk. When the grass was tall enough, Hinata, frightened to enter the 'jungle', would be carried on Naruto's back, piloting an imaginary helicopter over the thicket. Days were spent in laughter, and the sorrow and pain that wrenched the young girl's heart had begun to fade at last. Though her parents would always be held close to her heart, something new began to fill her soul. A feeling of friendship and belonging.

To her, every moment spent with the boy was a happy one. As the leaves began to fall in Autumn, one day, she and Naruto had volunteered to rake the leaves - a good excuse to get outside and play in them, of course. While the other children were indoors straightening up the bedrooms and helping with other cleaning, Naruto and Hinata were outside, popping out of crackling leaves and giggling. After several neat piles had finally been raked up without being subject to the duo's urge to jump in it, the kids gently laid down upon their last pile of leaves, gazing up at the clouds in the sky.

"That one looks like...a fox!" Naruto said, pointing to a misshapen cloud that - to Hinata anyway - did not look anything like one. However, she smiled and nodded, pointing to a cloud nearby it.

"That one is a...bird!" she said. Lately, her stuttering had begun to vanish from her speech entirely, something even she was noticing. Her fears around Naruto seemed to dissipate entirely - she could trust him, and for that, the child bore a new air of confidence that she didn't have before. Seconds turned to minutes, and those minutes to hours. Time had little meaning to these children, and it wasn't till the sun began to set that they stopped cloud gazing, and sat up, getting prepared to head inside.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata started, brushing leaves off of her plaid colored jacket. "I heard some of the kids talking earlier. They said mean things about how you would never have a family because you cause too much trouble." She knew he heard this same thing earlier, since she had seen him walk out of the room where the kids were talking quite loudly about it, his head hanging low, trying to hide his tears - something she was never strong enough to do. "I just...wanted to say that...You're not a bad person at all." Blushing profusely, the little girl looked away, unable to keep eye-contact with him as she said this. "Which is why... I am keeping the faith that someone will adopt you someday. And they're gonna be friendly, and give you all the love you could ever want. Don't...don't pay any attention to those meanies, a-and keep the faith."

She didn't know why she had told him his own favorite saying. Maybe it was because lately, she had felt his faith falter a bit - with every family that came in, and passed him by. She saw the look of regret in his eyes, and the envy over the children who were taken home instead of him. Looking back at him, she expected he would call her weird, for bringing up such a personal subject. Instead, she saw a grateful smirk, and he rubbed the tip of his nose, giggling. "I'm happy. I needed that, Hinata-chan, thank you. But..."

He looked at her, and folded his arms. "I'm sure you'll find an amazing family too. Don't you listen to the other kids either - they're just jealous because you've got a way higher chance of getting adopted than they do. You're quiet, but you're a good girl too. And you're always really polite - I can't even remember as many manners as you do half the time." Giving his confident, all familiar 'thumbs up', he spoke reassuringly. "You keep the faith too, 'tebayo~!"

She hadn't even thought of being adopted much till then. Did she even want a new family? She couldn't fathom replacing her mother and father...or even Naruto for that matter. But if he was adopted, she would be all alone again anyway. Squeezing her rabbit toy, she recalled the first snow of that year. It was a wondrous time for her - because it was the first time she had seen snow at all in her near seven years of life.

The children of the orphanage had been eager that morning to get outside and play, and everyone pitched in to finish their chores quickly. Diving into the assortment of hand-me-down winter clothes, Hinata was the last to get her pick - the winter coat with the hole in the back, and the mittens with crazy glue stains upon them. Sighing, she began to get outfitted to see her first snow. She wouldn't show it much, but the child was very excited, even if she got the worst of the pick.

Rushing to the front door, she half expected to see Naruto waiting out in the yard for her. A white glimmer nearly blinded her when she opened that door, and her lavender eyes laid their sights upon her first Winter Wonderland. Struck in awe, and a hint of caution, she stepped slowly onto the porch, almost slipping on the first step. It was so cold, but so beautiful - she couldn't decide what to do.

Her foot sank into the crunchy white, something that came to her as a surprise. Curiously, she continued to wade into the depths of the snow, her footsteps becoming less cautious and more excited with every foot she traveled. It was breathtaking, and she loved every moment of it. However, as the wind began to blow, she felt a chill run down her back - the hole in her jacket was giving way to the cold.

Shivering, she turned towards the door to head back inside. As much as she wanted to explore this new aspect of nature, she couldn't stand being so cold. Just then, Naruto popped out of the doorway, dressed in a rather thick red coat. "Hinata-chan! Oh, you grabbed a coat already?"

She nodded. "Yes, but it has a big hole in the back, and now I want to go back inside."

Naruto shook his head. "But I just got out here! If the coat isn't good for you, here..." Taking off his jacket, it turned out he was wearing a second underneath - a pink one at that. Nearly giggling, Hinata almost didn't notice him rush over to her and place the red jacket over her, zipping it up promptly. "There. Now you have two!"

Blushing - partly because of how toasty warm she was now, and partly because of his kind gesture - Hinata turned away from him bashfully. "T-thank you, Naruto-kun."

Their day of play had been the best one yet - all throughout the day, Naruto showed Hinata all the fun things a good snow could bring. Together, they had snowball fights, made snow angels, and even began working on the biggest snowman they could build. By the time it had become dark, their snowman had become the biggest accomplishment of the day. Looking upon it with pride, the two smiled at one another.

"Biggest I've ever made, I think!" Naruto said. "It snows here a lot, but I don't have anyone to help me make one."

Hinata giggled. "I'm glad I helped then."

Looking over the snowman one more time, the blond child folded his arms, tilting his head in wonder. "Hm...you know what? We need a carrot for a nose." he said with a nod.

Hinata nodded and ran up to the front door, trying to open it. As the door failed to give way, she realized it was locked. "Naruto-kun! Wait here, I'll get a carrot from the kitchen!" she reassured him, running around the side of the orphanage house.

It had only occurred to her the moment she heard the chatter of the other children that she hadn't played in the backyard since the day Naruto had come to her rescue - since the day she lost her stuffed rabbit. Cautiously, she looked around the corner to the back porch. The coast was clear, from the looks of it. Making a timid sprint for the door, however, she was proven quite wrong - as she felt a splash of cold water pour over her.

Falling back in shock, her tiny body began to tremble weakly at how cold it had suddenly become. Shivering uncontrollably, she looked up, the boys from that day glaring over her with wily grins.

"Well well, if it isn't the crybaby Hinata-tan." the bully said with a snicker. "Been a long time since you came back to play with us, I was scared you didn't like us."

She could barely move at this point, but she made an attempt to scurry backwards, to run back to where Naruto was. However, one of the boys stepped forward and knocked her over. "Ahaha, why don't you call for Naruto, your boyfwend?"

She felt the urge to cry for help. These cruel children...how could they hold such a grudge for so long? Was Naruto right, that they were envious? She hadn't even been adopted yet, so why would they be? "Please...don't hurt me." she begged, still miserably cold from the water.

The head bully spat on her. "No way! You and Naruto made us look stupid that one day, so I'm gonna give you whats coming to you!"

"You mean I'm gonna give YOU what's coming to YOU!"

She didn't even have to look up to know that voice. In that moment, Naruto had come running around the corner, and jumped onto the bully, knocking him to the snowy ground. Biting his gloves off of his hands, he began to punch the boy wildly. "HOW DO YOU LIKE IT? HUH? How does it feel to be the weak one?"

He had come to her rescue again, just like he had that one day. However, unlike that day, the other boys weren't backing off. Hinata gasped as she saw them pull Naruto off of their leader, and cried out for them to stop the moment she saw one take out the wooden baseball bat from underneath the porch. "Don't! STOP! N-Naruto-kun!"

As one of the boys reeled their hands back, the bat high above their heads, something inside Hinata welled up. Her feelings of fear, the physical pain she was in from the cold, everything seemed to be cast aside for a moment in time. Jumping to her feet in a burst of anger, she tackled the boy with the bat, and wrestled it from his hand. "Hey, what are you doing, freak?"

Glaring at the boy, she ran over to help Naruto, but felt a hard pound against the back of her head. In that moment, her vision began to blur, and she fell to the ground, the last thing she heard being Naruto, calling out her name.

That was the last time she had ever seen or heard the boy. When she had woken up, bandaged and in bed, the first thing she wondered was if he was okay, and what had happened. Hours turned to days, and days turned to weeks before she had begun to realize the harsh reality - Naruto was no longer there.

It was the end of February before one of the caretakers told her what happened that day. After she was knocked out, Naruto had broken free of the children's grasp, and had resumed to beat them all up. He wouldn't stop, and it wasn't until the boys were black and blue that he was wrestled off of them. That evening, he was sent off to a different orphanage, out of fear that he might continue his violent actions upon the boys again.  
Hinata was given back her rabbit, Mr. Ears, by the caretaker who told her all of this. She was told Naruto had finally managed to get it back, all on his own, and that he had been trying to clean and repair it for her. Attached to it was a messily finger painted note that said something that nearly made up for the news of his sudden departure.

"To Hinata,

Here is your bunny. I hope you keeped the faith

Naruto

P.S. - I had help writing all this, but I hope you can read it"

Looking at her rabbit, she began to question the child she was when it was stolen from her, how she cried over her only real friend having been taken away. But now, she truly knew what it meant to lose a friend - a real one.

The last traces of the snowman she and Naruto had built outside had melted within a month afterward, and she never felt more torn up inside to see something fade like that. Suddenly, every moment they had spent together seemed more and more precious inside, but the thought that none of those moments would ever happen again created a vast void in her heart.

A void she hadn't felt since her parents had passed. And the worst part was that she never got the chance to say goodbye.

Weeks turned to months. Months to years. As she approached the Winter of her ninth birthday, her emptiness didn't seem to fade, even a bit. She had begun to cry herself to sleep again in time, and all the strength she had gained from Naruto had been lost. She was the gloomy, depressed child she was when she had first come to the orphanage.

Even with a family coming today to take her home, she still couldn't find much to be happy about. All she wanted now was to see Naruto again, to walk with him, to be with him. Perhaps she was too young to know what love was, but deep inside, her heart ached - because she knew that's what it was.

A small, blue car pulled up to the front of the orphanage, and Hinata drew a heavy sigh. Standing up, she looked down at her rabbit, tears in her eyes. It was too painful to bring this along with her - a memento of her parents, and of Naruto. It crippled her inside to even look at it anymore. Hugging the toy tight one last time, she set it on the windowsill she had just spent her last hour at the orphanage looking out, and walked towards the door.

Her new family...they were nice enough. They knew she was hurting somehow, and perhaps they wouldn't be so bad to live with. Anything was better than wandering these halls any longer, polluted by the memories that choked her up inside. Rushing down the stairs, she greeted her new parents and the caretaker at the front respectfully.

"Hinata-chan, before you go..." the caretaker said, once she and her new family had begun to leave. He handed her a large envelope, addressed to her. Looking up at her new parents, they gestured for her to open it, a smile playing across their faces.  
Inside was something that brought tears to the young girls' eyes - but for the first time, they were tears of joy. A large photograph came out of the envelope first, of Naruto, standing next to a tall man with a ponytail and scar over his nose. Both of them were giving a thumbs-up to the camera, and a cheesy smile. Hinata giggled - she noticed Naruto had been losing a few more of his baby teeth. Or perhaps he'd been getting into more fights? Reading the back of the photo, there was a letter.

"Hinata,

Hope you don't mind - my new dad, Iruka, is helping me write this one too. I finally got adopted, can you believe it? My new dad is awesome, 'tebayo! He takes me fishing every weekend, and the other day, we caught a fish that was the size of my arm! It was huge! I wish you could have seen it.

I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from those jerks that day, and I hope you're alright. I really miss playing with you - actually, I just miss you PERIOD! You were the best friend I've ever had, and I hope you get adopted soon so you can get away from all those mean kids - by a really nice family that'll love you just as much as my dad loves me, haha! He told me to add that last part - well, wrote it, but it's true.

I know we'll see each other again someday. Friends like us don't just stop talking to one another - we just need to find each other again. Iruka says no matter how far away you end up living when you get adopted, he'll make sure we can visit sometimes.

All we need to do is keep the faith. The both of us. I can't wait till we see each other again, 'tebayo.

Naruto"

Perhaps she had been silly - and jumped to the conclusion that she and Naruto would never see each other again. But in that moment, surrounded by the warm smiles of her new parents, and the smiles of Naruto in the photograph she had in her hands, she felt the darkness around her scatter, and felt like a weight was lifted from her tiny shoulders.

On the way to the car, she took one last look at the orphanage - rather, a first genuine look at it. Even when she had played outside, somehow, she had always avoided taking in the sight of the whole orphanage. But now, her smile beamed over the quaint, old little building where she had met her first true friend.

As the view of the orphanage faded from view in the back seat of the car, she began to wonder, for the first time, what the future held for her. For the first time since before her parents had passed, she fell asleep - smiling, and holding on to her favorite toy.

Keeping the faith, she knew her life would be happier from this day forth.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Soooooooooooo...yeah. This started off as a SUPER depressing idea. NaruHina orphans - cute and depressing at the same time. It reminds me of the reaction I have to sour skittles - you know, where you're like "This is so sweet, but I can't help but cringe a bit too!"

IN A GOOD WAY, MIND YOU! It's such an odd feeling.

Anyway, I wanted to write younger characters for once. MUCH younger, at that. In this fic, Hinata is remembering her first year at the orphanage - which at the time, she was only six. It took me a lot of mulling on some details - I had to think long and hard on how a six year old would act, and change over the course of the following year. In addition, I had to think of how best to keep in line with Hinata and Naruto's characters - keeping them young, yet noticeable.

Hinata would have been considered somewhat OOC if not for the fact that her shyness in the anime and manga stemmed entirely from NOT having been quite this friendly with Naruto in her early childhood. See, if she had played with him often, and spent a lot of time with him, eventually her shyness would begin to fade. Granted, it was still there where it needed to be.

The other characters besides Hinata, and Naruto remained nameless for an effect I wanted to try. I wanted people to be focusing more on just the two characters, and to use one's imagination on the others.

A few scenes were more difficult to write than others. The winter scene was fun, but incredibly tough - since you can only do so much describing with a winter wonderland. I wanted to make more jokes involving Naruto choosing to wear the pink coat, but meh, it was approaching 11 pages and I didn't want to drag it on. I think this might be the longest single chapter of anything I've eve-wait, no no, I keep forgetting about the final chapters of LIAB and Student or Dearest. Still, it's pretty long, no?

A couple of scenes were more fun than others to write. Like the scene where Hinata gets scared and wets herself and Naruto was all like "...oh...um...that's what you meant" and all that - I couldn't help but laugh. I'm such a bad person for embarrassing Hinata-chan like that. But I made up for it nicely with the lightning counting scene.

By the way, "Bowl of ramen" and "Mississippi" have the same number of syllables. Try it next time you're trying to see how far lightning is from you~!

If anyone is wondering why Hinata had the toy in the end when she left it on the windowsill, well, let's use our heads for that one, shall we? xP It's pretty obvious after that revelation she had.

I'd love to do some fanart of this. So many of these scenes seemed so cute to me, I almost got diabetes from writing it.

Any errors I've made, kindly point them out so I can fix them. I admit, I'm not savvy on orphanage terminology either.

Comments will be used to feed orphan Naruto and Hinata.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and Hinata are property of Masashi Kishimoto - I do not own them. I wish I did though, I mean, writing this just made me want to ADOPT them! But then like...I'd only be able to take one home in order to make NaruHina still possible since they'd be siblings if I adopted them both, then whoever I don't adopt will be sad, then NaruHina won't happen anyway and...O.o NOOOOO~!


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